The Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation
The Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation (RMYF)
The Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation (RMYF) is a non-profit organization that identifies and implements innovative and effective ways to help youth reach their full potential.1 RMYF supports programs that:
- Are innovative; and have a potentially replicable service concept.
- Are offered by small or medium nonprofit organizations (operating budget of less than $5 million).
- Promote scholastic, professional, athletic and/or other excellence in youth (0-25 years old).2
Approach
The Foundation accomlishes its mission through three types of grants that are targeted to small- or medium-sized nonprofit organizations (operating budget of less than $5 million).
- Evaluation Grants - fund the evaluation of innovative youth programs or services with the purpose of identifying which programs and services are effective.
- Replication Grants - help organizations serve more youth by leveraging their program, adding a new location, increasing existing capacity, or increasing capital expenditures. Applications are only available through RMYF grantee liaisons.
- Dissemination Grants - help grantees to disseminate findings of best practices. Some examples of dissemination are conference presentations, journals, Websites, and consultations.3
History
RMYF was founded in 1998 to honor the memory of Jordan Ruddie. Jordan Ruddie, was a close friend and an inspiration to the founders of RMYF. Tragically, Jordan’s intellectual and creative growth was halted and his youth’s potential cut short when his life ended prematurely at the age of 26.
Today, the Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation supports and enables others who show the same promise as Jordan, and to fulfill that potential by providing them the opportunity to realize their own dreams.4
Impact
In recent years RMYF has provided grants to the following organizations:
2008
Girls on the Run, Chicago, IL http://www.gotrchicago.org
Media and Technology Charter High (MATCH) School, Boston, MA http://www.matchschool.org
Mission Community Financial Assistance, San Francisco, CA
PlusTime New Hampshire, Chichester, NH http://www.plustime.org
Refugee Family Services, Stone Mountain, GA http://www.refugeefamilyservices.org
Youth In Focus, Oakland, CA http://www.youthinfocus.net
2007
Artists For Humanity, Inc. , Boston, MA http://www.afhboston. com
Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL http://www.chicagobotanic.org
Children's Health Education Center, Milwaukee, WI http://www.BlueKids.org
Coordinators2inc, Richmond, VA http://www.c2daopt.org
Liberty's Promise, Alexandria, VA http://www.libertyspromise.org
MYTOWN, Boston, MA http://www.mytowninc.org
Urban Alliance, Washington, DC http://www.urbanalliancefoundation.org
Higher Achievement Program, Inc., Washington, DC http://www.higherachievement.org
PEARLS for Teen Girls, Inc., Milwaukee, WI http://www.pearlsforteengirls.com
Website
Http://www.rmyf.org
References
1.New England Network for Child, Youth and Family Services (NEN) Website 1
2. RMYF Website 2
3. Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources 3
4. RMYF Website 4